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These Vegan Cranberry Cookies with pistachios are perfectly festive cookies for the holidays! They’re moist and chewy, easy to make, gluten-free, oil-free, and vegan. Cookie exchange anyone?
These Vegan Cranberry Cookies are reminiscent in texture to my reader favorite Vegan Cinnamon Cookies and my Chocolate Molasses Cookies. Just a bit crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside – it’s definitely the way we prefer our cookies in this house.
All of these cookies are made with almond flour, making them naturally gluten free. They are also oil free and, obviously, egg free. Bake up a batch today!
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Flour ~ These vegan cranberry cookies are made with almond flour. Look for fine ground almond flour, not almond meal which will be more coarse.
Do not sub with another type of flour! If you need a nut-free option, try my Crunchy Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies or my Sunflower Fig Balls.
Sugar ~ Coconut sugar and pure maple syrup are my go-to sweeteners for most baked goods.
Light brown sugar can be substituted for the coconut sugar, if you prefer.
Be sure to use pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup.
Milk ~ Any unsweetened, plain non-dairy variety of milk will work. Almond milk is my preference, but oat milk, rice milk, or soy milk will all work.
Almond butter ~ My favorite almond butter is Trader Joe’s Raw Creamy Almond Butter. It’s made from just one ingredient, raw almonds.
Any almond butter will work, however. Use your favorite.
Cranberries ~ You’ll need dried cranberries for this recipe. Sweetened or unsweetened will both work. I can never seem to find unsweetened cranberries in my grocery stores. Use what you prefer.
Don’t love cranberries? You can use any dried fruit, like blueberries, cherries, raisins, or chopped apricots. You could also skip the fruit altogether and use dairy-free chocolate chips instead.
If you love dried cranberries, you’ll love these Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies, Baked Oatmeal Muffins, Gingerbread Granola, Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti, and Cranberry Pecan Wild Rice.
Add-ins ~ I love the combo of dried cranberries with pistachios and the red and green colors are festive for the holidays. However, if you are a not a fan of pistachios, you can use chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, or even pumpkin seeds.
You could also use chocolate chips instead of nuts.
How to make the recipe
Add the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl (1) and whisk together to incorporate (2).
Add the liquid ingredients to another mixing bowl (3) and whisk until smooth (4).
Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture (5) and stir until smooth and no flour is visible (6).
Add the dried cranberries and chopped pistachios (7) and stir well to distribute evenly throughout (8).
Please note: The dough for these vegan cranberry cookies is sticky and not as firm as traditional cookie dough. Do not be tempted to add more flour!
Using two spoons, drop balls of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet leaving about 2 inches in between each one (9).
Using slightly damp fingers, press down gently to flatten the tops of the cookies. You don’t have to press them all the way down, the cookies will spread on their own.
Bake in a preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes until golden (10). Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies sit for 1 minute before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool. They will firm up as they cool.
Storage/Freezing
These vegan cranberry cookies are best eaten the day they are made. However, leftovers can be stored loosely covered on the counter for 2 to 3 days. Be sure to let the cookies cool completely before covering them for storage.
These cookies can also be frozen! Place the baked and cooled cookies in a single layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet or large plate and lay it flat in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours. Once the cookies are frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or plastic bag. They should keep well for up to 3 months.
Pro tips for success
~ Do not sub another flour for the almond flour. It will not work.
~ Measure the almond flour using the spoon and level method. Do not pack it down or you’ll end up with too much.
~ Make sure to stir the almond butter well before measuring. The oils will naturally separate in the jar and they need to be mixed back in.
~ If your dried cranberries are overly dry, soak them in hot water for about 20 minutes to plump them up. Drain them well before adding them to the batter.
~ This cookie dough is fairly sticky. Do not add more flour!
~ The cookies will spread on their own, but gently pressing down on the tops will help them along. Use slightly damp fingers to do this or the dough will stick to your hands.
~ Bake until just golden brown and the edges are set. Do not over-bake. The cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.
FAQs
While soaking dried cranberries for these vegan cookies is not necessary, you certainly can if you want them plumper and juicier. If you like, soak them in hot water for about 20 minutes then drain well before adding them to the batter.
A lot of factors contribute to the texture of a cookie. In this case, the use of almond flour and maple syrup makes these cookies moist and chewy.
While these dried cranberry cookies will spread on their own, it can help to gently flatten the tops a bit.
- Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Thumbprint Cookies
- Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
- Vegan Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Almond Cookies
- Vegan Kolaczki (Vegan Polish Cookies)
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.
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Vegan Cranberry Cookies
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups almond flour
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup almond butter
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup unsweetened original almond milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup chopped shelled pistachios
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond butter, maple syrup, almond milk, and vanilla.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to fully combine all the ingredients.
- Stir in the cranberries and pistachios and mix well.
- Scoop out 1-2 tablespoon(s) of dough and place onto the parchment lined cookie sheet. Leave a couple inches in between each scoop of dough because the cookies will spread.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown and the edges are set.
- Transfer to a cooling rack to continue to cool completely. Repeat with any remaining dough.
Notes
Storage/Freezing These cookies are best eaten the day they are made. However, leftovers can be stored in loosely covered on the counter for 2 to 3 days. Be sure to let the cookies cool completely before covering for storage. These cookies can also be frozen. Place the baked and cooled cookies in a single layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet or large plate and lay it flat in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours. Once the cookies are frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or plastic bag. They should keep well for up to 3 months.
Whitney E. RD says
These look perfectly chewy! And what a great combo – pistachios and cranberries go great together!
Jenn S. says
They really do! Thanks, Whitney!
Christine says
These cookies look delicious! My husband would really love them 🙂 So good!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Christine! I hope you both enjoy them!
Jessica @Small Bites by Jessica says
These sound fabulous! Love that cranberry pistachio combo!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Jessica! They’re so good together!
amanda -runtothefinish says
My best friend hosts a cookie swap every year and it’s so much fun!! I’m always looking for ideas to switch it up so this is a great option
Jenn S. says
I love cookie swaps! How fun!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says
Cranberries and pistachios are perfect together!
Jenn S. says
I agree!
Karen Littel says
Can these cookies be frozen?
Jenn S. says
Hi, Karen. I honestly don’t know. Cookies don’t last that long in our house. 🙂 If you try it, let me know how it goes.
Sarah says
Pistachios are my FAVORITE!!! Your cookies look so festive with the red and green flecks!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Sarah!
Cadry says
I love that these are made with almond flour! I have a bag sitting in my cupboard, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it. Plus, pistachios are one of my all-time favorite nuts. It’s a win/win!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Cadry! Almond flour is my go-to for cookies these days. So good!
Mel says
I love these seasonal cookies! Almond flour has such a lovely flavour and it’s great that they are oil-free!
Jenn S. says
I agree – love almond flour. It’s basically my go-to for cookies now. Thanks, Mel!
Bethany via athletic avocado says
Yay for cookie month! These cranberry pistachio cookies look incredible, crispy, chewy and studded with my favorite nut! I love the healthy, whole-food ingredient list here 🙂
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Bethany! Enjoy!
Dianne's Vegan Kitchen says
I usually have a Christmas cookie swap, but I’ve been too busy this year. I need to get in the kitchen and start baking these cookies right away for myself, though! 🙂
Jenn S. says
Oh, for sure. No need to share!! 🙂
Becky Striepe says
I would love to get these in a cookie exchange. YUM!
Jenn S. says
🙂 Thanks, Becky!
Mary Ellen - VNutrition says
These look so delicious! I’m obsessed with pistachios so these will be perfect for me!
Jenn S. says
Oh, me too. I could eat a whole bagful! I have to portion them out so I don’t overdo it. LOL! Thanks, Mary Ellen!
Vivian | stayaliveandcooking says
Ohhh they look delicious! I love cookies with pistachio, and I love that you made them vegan too.
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Vivian! So good!